


Gifted

by juliasets



Series: Season 13 Codas [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Hugs, Post-Episode: s13e21 Beat the Devil, Spoilers, all the hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 04:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14560401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juliasets/pseuds/juliasets
Summary: Sam and Dean share a moment in the chaos immediately following the episode.





	Gifted

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Подаренный](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14594778) by [TModestova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TModestova/pseuds/TModestova)



> Spoilers for 13x21. I couldn't wait until the next episode to get a hug, I needed hugs.

The moments immediately following Sam’s miraculous appearance are chaotic.

Dean can’t let himself believe in what he’s seeing. He’s rooted in place and so Jack reaches Sam first. He latches on, Sam’s arms circling him hesitantly in return. Seeing their hero—their weapon—greet the newcomers so happily seems to do a lot to reassure the locals, who lower their guns if not their guard.

Cas and Gabriel approach more forcefully, both bringing angel blades to hand, but Lucifer only puts his hands up in surrender. He’s grinning.

“Woah, woah. We’re all friends here.”

“We’re no such thing,” Cas replies.

“Castiel, I’m hurt. And this after I returned Sam to you. Returned him to _life_.” The last part he says loudly, projecting out to the camp at large.

Most people are staring at Lucifer, but Dean catches Sam’s flinch at the words.

Lucifer is still playing to the crowd. He spreads his hands wide in supplication. “I’m here to help you.”

Jack and Sam have separated, Sam holding the kid literally at arm’s length. Jack is young enough that Sam’s reassuring smile might work on him.

“Is it true?” Jack asks. “Did he bring you back?”

Sam’s smile cracks, but he recovers quick. Dean’s brain is still playing catch up, still trying to move past the _Sam Sam Sam is alive Sammy_ spinning through his head. He hadn’t gotten around to the ‘why’ yet, but he understands in a flash. Son of a bitch.

Lucifer’s still talking. “I took out a couple of angels on my way here so my tank’s full and I’m ready to go.”

Well, fuck.

Cas and Gabriel approach more hesitantly and the devil allows himself to be taken into a kind of wary custody. They flank him as he moves further into the camp. Mary rushes up and gives Sam a tight hug, running a shaky hand over his bloodstained cheek and exchanging a few soft words before following the trio of angels into the camp.

Jack clearly doesn’t want to leave him, but Sam says something quietly to him and whatever it is convinces the Nephilim to head back to the command center. Jack gives Dean a look that Dean can’t be bothered to decipher right now. He just doesn’t care.

Sam is alive.

Sam and Dean don’t mean anything to these people, so everyone pretty much ignores Dean as he stumbles forward. Sam hasn’t moved. He’s staring at the ground, shoulders slumped. Dean knows that posture. He knows how his brother looks when he’s defeated and it gives him the energy to close the final few feet. It’s how he knows this is real, because if he was dreaming Sam wouldn’t look so ruined.

Once he has his arms wrapped around Sam the world restarts. Two horrible days vanish into the ether. He brings a hand up, cups the back of Sam’s head. Sam’s hair is crusty with blood.

“He brought me back,” Sam whispers. “I’m sorry.”

The words don’t even register. Sorry?

“Did he hurt you?” Dean asks, voice rough. He needs to know. With Lucifer here, the status of the rift is questionable. He doesn’t care. If Lucifer’s hurt Sam, Dean is going to kill him.

“No,” Sam says, the word wrenched from his throat. “He wanted me safe. Needed me to get to Jack.”

And yeah, Dean’s already figured that one out. Lucifer is powerful and cruel, but he’s not particularly creative.

“He gave me a _choice_.”

Dean buries his face farther into Sam’s shoulder, tries to pull him closer even as there’s no space between them. His heart breaks for the pain in Sam’s voice.

Dean had walked two days to Dayton and he hadn’t said a word. When they finally found the camp, found his mother, she’d hugged him and the first thing he thought, clear as a bell, was “it wasn’t worth it.” He hated himself for that moment.

He doesn’t know what choice Sam made, but he can imagine. And he doesn’t care. Whatever it was, it brought him back to Dean. It was worth it.

Dean can hear Sam spiraling, can feel it in his bones, in the spaces that were empty the past few days. He uses the hand cradling the base of Sam’s skull to shake him a little. He’s had so few words for days but now finds an overabundance tumbling forth. “No, no, Sam. Stop. It doesn’t matter, I don’t care. Whatever he did, whatever he does, we’ll deal with it. Together.”


End file.
